Alright readers, it's that time again. I had a really good time writing this chapter, and it's so exciting to tell this story in general. I've got so many ideas that I can't show yet because they'd ruin what's to come. Just rest assured, it's only going to get better from here. I'm going to do my best.

Don't forget to leave some reviews! I really appreciate the feedback and motivation! Also, if you have any questions about the fic and where it's headed, I'll be happy to answer, as long as it's not too spoilery.

Anyway, here's the latest installment.


"Secrets"

-x-

After Annabeth left, Percy went about his day.

By noon, Percy had already completed several of his daily tasks. Replacing rotten wood on the back wall with fresh strips, cleaning the foremost left hallway of the dorms, supervising the combat lessons, and now, perimeter duty.

Perimeter was an easy job. Two people with weapons make two laps around the walls of Olympus, killing any infected that happened to wander in during the night, out of the watchtower's eyesight. One lap for taking them out, and a second lap to double check.

Today, Percy did it with Travis Stoll, the other half of the scheming pair of twins.

"I mean, she would've made a good asset to the camp! Don't you think?"

For some strange reason, Percy had went on and on to Travis about his frustrations with Annabeth leaving. As he rambled, Travis only gave hums of agreement, or one word responses.

"It's just weird, you know? What could make a person travel 'far away' on their own through the city? With all that infected between you and your goal? If someone finds a camp like ours, why wouldn't they want to stay?"

Percy sliced the neck of an infected with Riptide, lopping it clean off. Travis took a makeshift spear and stabbed one in the temple.

"I mean, not every survivor wants to be in a group," Travis argued, "Maybe she likes going solo."

"She's like a mix of Clarisse and Mr. Brunner," Percy wondered aloud, "She's smart. The smartest way to survive would be in a group."

Travis didn't say anything to that. They kept walking, finding one more infected on the back end. Percy took care of it.

"And she didn't even accept any supplies for her trip!"

Finally, Travis lost it. He groaned and turned around on Percy, "Okay, listen. You've been going on and on about this girl. Why?"

"Because I'm thinking of the camp, Travis. You didn't see her yesterday. She's capable."

Travis just shook his head, scoffing. "You're still lying man. You've been lying for the past ten minutes. Just come out and say the truth."

Percy could only blink at him in confusion. "The truth? What are you talking about?"

He said it in one breath, as if it were completely obvious. "You caught feelings, bro."

Percy twitched, "What did you just say?"

Travis sighed, "Look, when Connor and I first came here, not long after you, we came with Rachel. You didn't go on and on about her, and to be honest, you don't now. Just seems to me like you wanted this Annabeth chick to stay so you could know her better."

He didn't even know where to begin in unpacking that. He began stuttering, which didn't help his case. He got angry at the fact he was stuttering, so he cleared his throat with intense effort, and nearly yelled at Travis to correct such a crazy assumption. "Are you insane? I knew her for like, a day, if that. You can't catch feelings in one day."

Travis shrugged, "I don't know. Ever heard of love at first sight?"

Percy nearly fell to the ground in shock. Love?!

Red in the face, he shook his head as fast as he could, "No, no, no. You've got it all wrong, man. I like Rachel, okay? Rachel. Not some know it all who barely talks, or smiles, or seems to care about anything."

"Well...was she hot?"

That's an understatement, was Percy's immediate first thought. A section of his brain slapped the other that produced that statement and forced his mouth to answer differently. "I mean...sure. She was pretty, yeah. But Rachel-"

"Percy, I know it's none of my business, but you've kinda made it my business by ranting on and on for the past few minutes. So I'll just ask you this and you can think on it. Do you actually know why you like Rachel?"

The question made him pause in his tracks. He didn't reply with a stutter or a quick cover-up. He genuinely thought about it. Why did he like Rachel?

She came to Olympus when it was still being built and everyone had to keep inside the dorm complex, a few months after Mr. Brunner met Percy and they found Grover, forming the original team of survivors that made up the settlement. She'd been among the twins, who said they found her on her own after some infected turned both of her parents. She didn't have the heart to kill them, so the Stoll brothers did it for her.

But Percy didn't know that right off the bat. He didn't even notice Rachel aside from occasional greetings and nods at each other. He thought she was cute, but never made an advancement. The idea of finishing Olympus and working with Mr. Brunner came first in his mind.

Come to think of it...that still triumphs the idea of a relationship with Rachel. He didn't like admitting that to himself, but it was the truth. Over the course of life in the new world, Percy had only become increasingly obsessed with fighting back against the hosts and fixing the world. In fact, he remembered Rachel approaching him first, striking up conversations on her own accord. As time passed, he'd engage more and more, until they became good friends, and eventually, interested in each other.

Or maybe, she was interested in him the whole time and he never noticed.

Rachel didn't like talking about the infected, or the state of the world. Things like Project Atlas, the identity of their leader, their purpose and what they had to do with the outbreak, never crosses her mind. Neither does a solution on how to fix things. Percy couldn't count the times he tried to get her help on such matters, but she always got uncomfortable.

He understood. She was afraid of them. Terrified, even. She would do anything to just stay within Olympus and get by, not looking at or coming in contact with infected. That's how Rachel wants to live.

Percy...didn't want to live that way. He knew that if nobody did anything, the world would only get worse. Sure, it seems like a monumental task, and it is. But all it takes is a single spark to light a fire, and Percy thinks that maybe he can be that spark. Even if it amounts to nothing in the end, at least it gave him purpose. Something that few people find in this new era.

Why did he like her? She was pretty. Check. She was creative. Check. She was nice to Percy a lot. Check. She looked at him in a way that no other girl would before the outbreak. Check.

Was that it? He'd never had a girlfriend before and just gave in to the attention without thinking about it?

Percy blinked rapidly to stop the running thoughts. If they went further...he might do something drastic. Ruin something that had been building for two years, something that was nice. Something there should be more of in the apocalypse.

He didn't notice that he'd fallen behind. Travis kept walking without him and ended up nearly out of eyesight. The boy waved at Percy and called, "Percy, you alright?!"

Percy broke out into a jog, "Yeah, I'm coming!"

He caught up with Travis, who looked at him with worry. "You good? I thought you were behind me."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that, I guess your question sort of threw me off."

"Sorry. Just trying to help."

"It's cool." Another thought hit Percy, unrelated to the topic beforehand. "Hey Travis, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Did you or Connor take Grover's reed pipes again?"

Travis cracked a smile, "Heh, sounds like us. You know me, I'm always looking out for little knick knacks." The smile went away as quick as it came, "But nah, we didn't. Not today."

Percy cocked his head at that. If they didn't take it, then why would Grover lie about that? Was he doing something in the dorms he wasn't supposed to?

"You don't have to lie to me, man. I won't get mad. I just want to know if you guys took it."

"I'm not lying, bro, we didn't. I've been too busy all day, and Connor's still asleep. He had watchtower duty with Rachel this morning, remember?"

That was right. Percy remembered seeing Connor asleep across from Rachel's watchtower, and Travis had been running around rampant since the crack of dawn, not a chance to trick or snatch anything. His word checked out.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Why? Are they missing?"

"I don't know. I'm about to find out."


The second Percy finished perimeter with Travis, he marched into the dorms and straight to Grover's room.

He knocked on the door twice, a little harder than normal. The words kept replaying over and over in his head. Grover...lying to him? Grover had never lied to him, not since he'd known him. Even if he did, he'd probably be horrible at it, with all kinds of tells.

"Who is it?" A voice asked from the other side. Grover's. Percy placed his ear against the wood and heard clanking wood. It sounded like the reed pipes being lowered from his mouth. Was Grover playing them before he walked up?

"It's Percy," He answered, "Can I come in?"

Grover's voice was light and cheerful, "Sure, man."

Percy opened the door and stepped inside, as he'd done a thousand times. Grover's room was plain. Not many decorations, and not much clutter. He didn't have many clothes or many belongings, and he stayed fairly neat. He did however have the reed pipes in his hands, fingers wrapped around them.

Grover furrowed his eyebrows, "Everything alright, Perce?"

"You found your reed pipes."

Grover took a quick glance at them and smiled up at Percy, "Yeah. Took forever, though. The Stolls are good. You'd better not let them ever get ahold of Riptide."

Percy's response was quick. Barely even waiting for Grover to finish his sentence. "Funny. I just had perimeter duty with Travis, and he said neither he or Connor took them."

If Grover was nervous, it didn't show. He rasberried and waved a dismissive hand. "You know how they are, dude. Those two would lie to God himself, even knowing that he can read their minds."

Percy never blinked at Grover. He only studied him carefully. His eyes and his facial expression, any sign of lying or anxiousness. To his surprise, there wasn't any.

But he didn't let it go just yet. "You lying to me, man?"

Now Grover's calm demeanor broke. Percy recognized that his tone was pretty dark, and he probably looked pretty intense right now, but he didn't care. This was Grover, and if he couldn't trust Grover on something, he considered that a major problem.

"Of course not. You're my best friend, Percy. Why would I lie to you?"

"To hide what you were really doing this morning in the dorms," Percy rebutted, "Travis has been working himself to death all day today, and I know for a fact that Connor is asleep. Neither of them really had the time to take your reed pipes."

"Percy-"

"What were you doing in the dorms this morning, man? Just tell me."

Grover, for once, actually glared at Percy, his temper rising. "What, because you tell me all of your secrets, right?"

That caught Percy off guard. "What?"

"Just yesterday, when we got away from those infected at the gas station, and I asked you why you do the things you do, you didn't give a straight answer!" Grover let go of his reed pipes and smacked the bed he sat on, "You never give a straight answer!"

Percy tightened his lips, "Some things aren't easy to talk about. You know that."

"I know, okay? I've been through all of that with you. I know the stuff you've had to deal with...but I just wish you'd talk to me about it sometimes. It feels like you don't trust me."

Percy could no longer be mad at him. He took a couple of steps toward the bed and kneeled in front of it so he could look Grover level in the eyes.

"G-Man, listen to me. There's no one in this world that I trust more than you. Not Rachel, not even Mr. Brunner." He smirked, "They weren't there for me before all of this. You were. You backed me up against Nancy Bobofit and Mrs. Dodds. You helped me get out of class when I was having a bad day. You made things easier with Smelly Gabe. You didn't look at me like I was a waste of space."

Grover nodded, his eyes welling up with tears. "That's what best friends do."

Percy returned the nod, his smirk deepening. "We're a team, you and me. Even if this place crumbles tomorrow, or even today, we'll stick together. Us against the world."

They grinned at each other for a few moments, until Grover broke eye contact, letting out a deep sigh.

"I trust you, Percy. Which is why I'm going to tell you the truth." He sucked in a shaky breath, preparing to release whatever bombshell he was about to drop. "I did lie about the reed pipes. I was in the dorms for...another reason, like you said."

Percy's first reaction was anger. Technically, Grover did lie to him a few times there, then, when he denied the suspicion. But he quickly pushed those emotions away, curiosity replacing them. He had to be grateful that Grover was trusting him enough to tell him now, whatever it was.

He waited patiently. Grover took his time, not speaking too quickly. "I didn't want to admit to it at first, because I know you're close with Mr. Brunner-"

"Wait. Mr. Brunner? What does this have to do with him?"

"Well, we both know about that secret room that he has in his office, right? The one with the fake bookshelves?"

Percy nodded, "I'm pretty sure we're the only ones who know, aside from Mr. Brunner himself."

Grover wouldn't meet his eyes, afraid of how he would react. "I've sorta...been trying to get in there lately. Without Mr. Brunner noticing."

Never, had Percy heard something more shocking than that. Grover was absolutely not the type to do something like that. To break the rules and go against someone's privacy.

Percy couldn't help but shake his head and smirk, "Look at you, taking after me. I'm so proud."

Grover's ears turned red, "You're not mad at me?"

"Of course not. Are you kidding? I've wanted to see what's back there for months."

"I know. That's kind of why I've been trying to get in."

"For me? Why?"

"The more the merrier, right? I mean, I'm curious myself, and it's like you've said before...there could be something back there to help humanity. It's weird that Mr. Brunner won't share that with us, when we're the two people that's been with him the longest. It was the three of us before anyone else, Percy."

"I know," Percy agreed, "It drives me crazy too. Have you been successful in...you know, finding a way in?"

Grover frowned, "Not at all. Mr. Brunner's in his office every time I try to sneak in. And the one time he wasn't, I didn't get far enough to figure out anything. I opened the fake bookcase and saw the door leading to the room, but there's a keypad next to it. You have to know the code to enter."

Percy clicked his tongue, "Damn. That's Brunner for you. Always taking extra precautions."

Grover let out a nervous laugh, picking at an invisible mark on his wrist. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just...I guess I got worried that you would tell Mr. Brunner or something. Which is stupid, since you want in that room more than I do."

Percy stood up from his position and clapped his buddy on the shoulder, "Ah, it's cool. But hey, now that I'm in on it, we can work together!"

"For sure. What are you thinking?"

Percy scrunched his face, putting a finger on his chin. "Okay, so this is gonna sound crazy. As in, crazier than the fact that we're in the apocalypse. But...I think I should just ask him about it."

Grover didn't screech or explode like Percy expected, but he did gawk. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, does he even know that we know about the secret room?"

"I...can't remember. I feel like I've mentioned it around him before."

Grover pressed his palm to his forehead, "If you can't think of an example off the top of your head, then you haven't, Percy."

"Okay, you're right. But think about it! What if we just asked him? It would save so much time! We wouldn't have to sneak around and decode keypads, or whatever else is involved. Who knows? He might actually talk."

"You can try."

"You're not going?"

"Nah. There's a better chance of him opening up to you alone, anyway."

He tried to argue, "Oh, come on. That's not-"

"Percy, you know it's true. Just go."

Percy nodded and left the room, a new mission on his mind. He thought of every time he knew Mr. Brunner was lying to him to ease his nerves and raise his vigor. All this time without the truth, without answers, it ends today. He would find out everything he wanted to know.

In a similar manner to confronting Grover, Percy marched down the halls to the very last set of doors where he knew Mr. Brunner's office sat. When he came up to the door, he halted quickly, hand raised in the air to knock. He froze for a moment, doubts creeping in.

No...no, I need to do this. If I don't now, I never will.

Inhaling a deep breath, he nervously rapped his knuckles against the wood, hearing the sound reverberate through the office.

A part of him hoped that Mr. Brunner wasn't there. That there'd be no response. But of course, it wasn't the case.

"Come in!"

Percy threw caution to the wind and twisted the knob, forcing a small smile. "Hey, Mr. Brunner, hope I'm not bothering you."

The older man was writing on a piece of paper directly below him. Upon seeing Percy, he shifted back in his chair, showing off white teeth. "Not at all, my boy. What can I do for you?"

Percy closed the door and took a spot in the middle of the room, a few feet in front of Brunner's desk. He shifted nervously, unsure of how to begin.

Just say it. Ask the question, demand an answer, anything!

But of course, he settled for small talk. "Oh, I don't need anything. Just wanted to talk like old times. I feel like we don't do that anymore."

Mr. Brunner nodded, a thoughtful look passing his aging features. "Yes...you're right. It has been a while since we discussed anything other than business."

"Anything that wasn't infected related?"

Mr. Brunner chuckled, "Well, to me that is business."

They shared a laugh. Once it ceased, Percy felt a force pushing against his will, screaming at him to just come out with it. Enough beating around the bush.

And he did. "Look...I'm not here to talk about the good stuff or any of that shit. I wanna talk about your secret room." Percy pointed past his shoulder, "That one, right there. The one behind that bookcase."

As soon as he said it, he instantly shifted his stare to Mr. Brunner's face to detect any movement, just like he did with Grover. Percy knew he was good at reading people, but he also knew that Mr. Brunner was better at hiding his feelings.

If he blinked or even looked away for a second, he would miss something. Mr. Brunner didn't twitch or move a muscle. He just matched Percy's stare, and even seemed relieved. Like he suspected this moment would come.

"You know, then."

"Yeah." Now that the tense moment had passed, Percy blinked to keep his eyes from burning. "And you don't deny it."

Mr. Brunner rested his chin on the tips of his index and middle finger, "What point would there be in that?"

"You never talk about it. You don't tell me or Grover or anyone what you're doing back there. I figured it must be something worth denying."

"If I did, it would only make this situation worse, and delay the inevitable." He reached for a glass of wine next to the papers, taking a swallow and licking his lower lip. "I'm no liar, Percy. There is a room behind this one that I conduct research in. If people knew about it...they would be in grave danger."

"Why?"

"I want to ask a question before I answer that one. How do you know about it?"

"I remember you cutting out a doorway between this room and the next when we started this place. Sometimes...I've found this office empty and heard noises in there. I asked you about it once before a while back, but you brushed it off."

Mr. Brunner never lost his cool for even half a second. It sort of bothered Percy, how cool and collected he was, answering every challenge with a put-together answer, as if holding a normal conversation.

It made Percy think there wasn't anything important behind there anyway.

No. That's the point. It's intentional.

It was one of the times that Percy fully realized just how complex and truly formidable his leader was. Unmoving when faced with adversity, one step ahead with his intelligence, analyzing every word and action like a chess board. Percy didn't stand a chance. There was nothing he could do to draw it out of him, if he didn't want to talk.

When Mr. Brunner didn't say anything, Percy repeated his earlier question, "Why is it dangerous?"

"Because what's behind there is valuable. If the information fell into the wrong hands...this place would be destroyed and everyone would be killed."

"What kind of information would cause all that?"

"Delicate information. Things that can change the course of the world."

"Can I see?"

"I'm sorry, but no. I can't let you."

"Why not? If there's something back there to help humanity, I want in! You know how much I want to fight back and change things! Let me help!"

Mr. Brunner sighed, "Trust me when I say that what's back there...is a burden. If I were to show you, you would be marked for death. I don't want that to happen, Percy."

"Saying all of this...you realize that's just gonna make me want to see it more, right?"

"Yes...I know. But if you're aware of the room, then you're aware of the code required to get in. I've ensured that nobody but myself can enter. I know you're curious, but it's for your own good."

Percy was getting annoyed, but in the back of his mind, he was sort of excited. He hadn't expected to get anything out of him, but now he at least knows what's back there is in fact, a big deal.

Percy walked closer to the desk and slid his fingers across it, recalling a memory from what felt like the beginning of a different life. "Remember day one? When we met?"

"I do."

"You told me you were the one that started all of this. You told me about the ice core project, how you and your colleagues found the parasite worm things that make people the monsters we fight against. You trusted me with that information back then, so why can't you trust me now? After everything we've been through, why?"

Mr. Brunner closed his eyes, pained and unable to look at him. "It's not a matter of trust, son. There's never been a question about the fact that I trust you with my life. This entire camp. The fate of its residents. What's behind that door is a matter of my own sins, and me fixing them. I will not involve you in that."

Percy backed up, folding his hands behind his back and admiring the room. "You know...I used to blame you. When you told me what happened in the arctic, I blamed you for causing my mom's death. I told myself that if you hadn't brought those creatures up from the ground, she wouldn't have turned. Nobody would've."

Mr. Brunner listened intently, not missing a word.

"But I got over that once I saw how much you wanted to fix things and make the best of the world. I have always believed in you, and there is nothing more that I want in this life than to make things go back to the way they were, so nobody else has to go through what I did! No one should have to kill their own mother! So let me help! I don't care if it's dangerous! I'll take the risks with you!"

After all of that passion and fire, Brunner still shook his head. "I cannot let you."

Percy didn't say another word. He just closed his mouth and nodded harshly, accepting the verdict. Losing all warmth in his heart towards the man in front of him, he left the room.


Later on, Percy lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling, hands folded behind his head. His mind raced, trying to guess as to what Brunner was hiding.

Could it be a powerful weapon to help them stop infected? Could it be a cure? A study on finding their weaknesses that haven't been exploited yet?

How could he conjure up any of that inside an old cramped room? Mr. Brunner was brilliant, but to keep something secret for this long from this many people...

Then it hit Percy. The supply runs they made. Most of the equipment went back to Brunner. Items from hospitals, medicines, machinery...it was all part of his plan. It had something to do with whatever was going on in that room.

It only frustrated Percy more. If that was true, then everyone in this camp contributed to the "research" Brunner conducted. Meaning, they were entitled to the truth.

But the logical part of Percy's brain chimed in, inputting caution with a small voice. Mr. Brunner isn't a bad person. He's done everything he could to protect us, giving all of these people a new home when he didn't have to. He could've been selfish and survived on his own, or with a small group. He didn't have to take on the responsibility of leading an entire settlement.

His actions so far only point to him being trustworthy. So if he says something is for your own good, you should listen.

But Percy couldn't. Maybe Brunner was right, maybe it is dangerous. But he doesn't care. All Percy really has left now is his ambition and hope. He doesn't care if he dies for a good cause. He sees that as honorable.

If only he could make Mr. Brunner realize that he was all in. Whatever it was, he wanted to hold the burden with him. Not off to the sides and in the dark.

Percy turned on his side, facing the door. He let out a harsh breath.

"This sucks."

His thoughts jumped from guess to guess, possibility to possibility, and time became a vacuum. However, he remained completely aware of his surroundings. The focus amplified Grover's voice through the door, as if he were sitting right next to him. He expected him sooner or later.

"Hey, it's me," He said, "I'm coming in if that's cool."

Without waiting for permission, Grover opened the door eagerly, popping into the room and waiting for details. Percy knew exactly what he wanted to hear, but he wouldn't hear it.

Percy's eyes nearly closed with dread, "He wouldn't let me see it."

Grover's tree-like posture deflated. "Oh...well, can't say I expected anything else."

"We did talk for a bit, though." Percy recalled it, memory of the conversation coming back to him, making him sit up and gain a little energy. "It wasn't really a total waste. He didn't deny that there was something back there."

"What did he say?"

"That it's valuable, whatever's back there. And if we knew about it, we'd all be in danger. Like, marked for death kind of danger. Those were his exact words."

"Marked for death?" Grover shook his head, puzzled, "What could it be?"

"I've been thinking about that. There's so many possibilities...a weapon, a cure, a weakness, contacts with allies that could help our camp..."

Grover targeted a specific guess with wide eyes, "A cure? Percy, if that's true..."

"I know. It could make things go back to the way they were."

"But Mr. Brunner making a cure? How would he be able to figure something like that out? We barely know anything about the parasites. Where they come from, how old they are, what they really want...I know Mr. Brunner's smart, but wouldn't it take years, maybe even decades for one man to create a cure?"

Percy debated whether or not to tell Grover some of the earlier conversations he and Mr. Brunner had. Most of them pretty much containing the answers to those very questions. Or at least, educated guesses.

"You told me you would explain, so explain."

"Listen, Percy. Don't take what I am about to say as fact. These are guesses based on context and theory."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just tell me!"

"Shh!" Mr. Brunner whipped his head back and forth at the surrounding crowd, "Not so loud. Someone could hear."

It had been one week since the outbreak began and they were forced into the bunker. Little to no information had been given on the situation outside by the officers, so the thousands of people had to be content living in the dark, going through the motions. Eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom. The other hours of the day were spent contemplating what was going on. Everyone was slowly losing their minds.

Ever since Mr. Brunner told Percy who he was, the boy had pestered him nonstop for answers and explanations. In every instance, he was given vague promises and told to 'have patience.' That first, he needed to have 'assurances.' Whatever that meant.

Now was the day. Percy would finally learn who his enemy is.

The two of them sat on the floor in the far corner, away from everyone. Percy looked like a schoolboy desperately awaiting the results of a test, his elbows on his legs and chin in his hands, eyes glued to Mr. Brunner.

The older man sighed once he considered the coast clear. "Okay, I think we're good. First, I need to hear you say that you won't tell anyone what I am about to say."

Percy groaned, "For the past week, that's all I've told you. You can trust me, Mr. Brunner."

"I will hear you say it again."

Mr. Brunner's grim tone shocked Percy. Since he met him, it had been nothing but tired eyes, slow movements, and overall...pathetic behavior. Here, for the first time, he saw a predator. A man willing to go to extremes to meet a goal.

"I-I won't tell anyone. Not a soul. I promise, Mr. Brunner."

The fire in his eyes dimmed, and he reverted back to his normal self. The predator was gone.

"Okay. Well, I suppose I could start at the beginning..."

He went on to recount how he and three other men were studying ice cores to complete a project, and during the operation, they discovered something buried within the ice, and inhabiting it, strange creatures. Mr. Brunner led into the last part of the story, detailing the death of his colleagues, at his own hand in self-defense.

When he finished, he motioned towards his missing leg. "That's how I lost it. I had to cut it off before the toxins spread any further."

Percy was fascinated, "So that's why there's so many of them. It spreads through a bite...like a virus. Like zombies."

"They aren't quite zombies. They are people being hosted by other-worldly creatures, being used as puppets."

"The worms."

"Well, they look like worms. But they aren't from this world. Not by a long shot. There is no creature in known history that can live for thousands of years in such extreme temperatures, that can fully function when brought to the surface."

"So what are they? Aliens? Why are they attacking us? And how do you know how old they are?" Percy put his hair in his hands, "Sorry, it's just...so many questions. This whole thing doesn't seem real. It's like a movie."

Mr. Brunner nodded, "Well, the one thing we know for sure is that they are in fact as you said, aliens. They aren't from this planet. The area that we were digging in had been cratered by a large asteroid. We did...later studies, and gauging the depth of the crash, the texture of the rock, the ice around it, it was safe to assume the asteroid had been there for millennia."

"And you found those things on the asteroid...so that means they travelled to Earth on it. But, that doesn't really make sense, how would they live on an asteroid, floating through space? Did they not come from Mars or something?"

"I can't guess what planet they originated on, or how they grasped onto an asteroid, but the fact remains, they aren't from this world. And given their genetic makeup, their mannerisms and instincts...it makes sense. As a biologist, I've never seen anything like it. They are intelligent, with a clear goal in mind. To spread their population as much as possible and conquer."

"Conquer?"

"What else would you call it? Thousands of people are infected, if not more. A parasite's goal is to use its host to the highest potential, to keep itself alive. I'm not sure if it's to shield themselves, to latch onto a more capable being...but I do know that it's getting worse."

Hearing Mr. Brunner describe the creatures as conquerors sent chills down Percy's spine. The idea of a foreign force, from another planet coming to Earth and taking over an entire country within a matter of days terrified him. It wasn't an idea or a fantasy. It was reality.

"Why do the hosts...parasites, whatever they are make people look dead? I mean, the people that I saw couldn't have been turned for more than an hour, yet they seemed decomposed."

"Well, once one of these parasites has complete control over its host, the host's body stops functioning to support the parasite. Thus, the pale skin, bloodshot eyes, and as you've pointed out...zombie-like appearance."

"So...a dead person can't be turned?"

"I'm not sure. It's still so new, I'd have to see it to believe it."

Percy hung his head back and stared at the carbon ceiling, "This is so insane. How do we stop such a thing? What's the government doing about all of this? Besides nuking the entire city?!" Percy snapped his head down and smacked the floor, "I hate being down here! They aren't telling us a thing!"

Mr. Brunner didn't shush him. He only agreed solemnly, "It is all part of the conspiracy. I may have discovered the parasites, but Percy...there are people that have wanted this to happen for a long time. People that have taken advantage of this discovery."

"Taken advantage? Are you saying that the government had something to do with this?"

Mr. Brunner's eyes darted around, anticipating a group of officers to come running at them, guns drawn and ready. Thankfully, it didn't happen. "I'm getting ahead of myself. You wanted to know about the parasites, not...that. I shouldn't-"

"No, no, go ahead. I want to know more."

"No, it's not something I can talk about. I don't know for sure what is going on behind the scenes. After the discovery and the deaths of my colleagues, the CDC extracted me and the parasites, taking them back to the States for further research. I had no involvement after that. To be honest, I wanted to get as far away from those wretched creatures as possible, despite being fascinated by them. I should've tried harder."

Percy had the strange feeling that Mr. Brunner was holding back on that information, but he didn't press. He was satisfied with what he heard. At least now he had some idea of what he was facing.

"Percy? Percy!"

"W-What?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

Percy blinked, "Sorry man, just lost in thought. What did you say?"

"I asked how you think Brunner could make a cure right under our noses? And in such a short amount of time."

"No idea. It may not even be a cure. I'm just throwing ideas out there."

"Well, whatever it is, we have to know." Grover started pacing, bobbing his head up and down, "We're getting in that room tonight."

"Tonight? How?"

"Mr. Brunner won't leave that office, but he's gotta sleep at some point. I'm thinking we wait until the middle of the night, then we sneak in and quietly try to figure out the code. It'll be our best shot."

Percy was getting tired just listening to him. He rubbed his hand across his face, "Look, maybe we should just forget about it, man."

"What? Why?"

"Because dude, has Mr. Brunner ever led us in the wrong path? Look around at what we have. He built it. We've not only survived, but thrived for three years, and formed a community. A semblance of normalcy. I'm just thinking maybe...we should respect what he says. He told me that it's not that he doesn't trust me, it's a matter of life and death. Like...if I even take one peek back there, it'll kill me." Percy fell back onto the bed, "I know he can be distant, but I feel like he has our best interests at heart."

He could feel Grover's presence get closer to the bed, "But what if Mr. Brunner is scared to act on whatever it is? What if he needs us to push him?"

Percy didn't understand. Why was Grover so desperate to do this? At first, he appreciated the fact that he wanted to help him, but now...he began to wonder if Grover had some ulterior motive he wasn't talking about.

"I don't know..."

Grover nudged further, "Come on! You know it's gonna eat us alive every night, trying to figure out what it is. Why don't we just go find out ourselves! We don't even have to do anything with it. We can just look and leave, and no one will be the wiser."

Percy craned his neck to look at him suspiciously, "Why do you care so much?"

That made Grover pause. A dark look passed over his face as he glared at the carpet. "I hate infected, Percy. I'm sick of living in this dump of a world. If I hear...or even think that there's a chance of something...I'm going to grab onto it. That's just how I am."

Percy slowly understood. It must've been building inside of Grover for a long time, the same as it had him. This burning fire that Percy possessed on day one to change things.

He just wouldn't assume that Grover would be brave enough to do anything about it. Which made him feel bad for even thinking it.

Percy sat up and smiled, "I get it, G-Man. You're right."

Grover looked at him hopefully, "So you're back in?"

After a moment, he nodded, "Yeah. When do you wanna do it?"


After he and Grover came up with a basic plan, they decided to wait a few hours for everyone to fall asleep. That way, there would be little to no chance of them being caught.

Percy knew Mr. Brunner went to sleep around midnight, but he figured it would be safe to go at two in the morning, just to be safe.

He and Grover met up at Percy's room without saying a word, only making hand signals toward the end of the hallway. Together, they crept close to the walls until they reached the end.

Now, Brunner's door faced them. They found themselves still, waiting for the other to make a move.

"Well?" Grover urged.

"Well what?"

He motioned quickly towards the knob, whispering, "Open it."

"Me? You're the one that convinced me to go through with it. You take the honors."

"Rock Paper Scissors for it."

Percy thought about it, then placed his hand out. "Deal."

They pumped their hands up three times, recanting rock, paper, scissors, and then played their moves. Percy played scissors, Grover played rock.

Grover grinned, lightly hitting Percy's outstretched fingers with his fist, "Got you, now do it."

Percy felt his nerves rising, "Uh, two out of three?"

Grover deadpanned, "At this rate we'll never get in."

"Alright, alright." Carefully, Percy grabbed the knob and twisted, only to be stopped before he could put any effort in. It was locked.

Grover heard the hitch of the metal and instantly knew. He cursed under his breath, "Should've figured. You uh, wouldn't happen to have a key, would you?"

Percy shrugged, a smug smirk plastered to his lips, "Nah, but I've got the next best thing. A lock pick."

Grover's eyes lit up as Percy brought out a paper clip from his jeans pocket. He figured this would happen, so he took extra precautions. A guy like Mr. Brunner wouldn't leave himself open to attack, even from his own followers.

Percy began working in silence on the lock, twisting the clip around to find that sweet spot. He had never robbed anyone before, but he'd picked a few of these in his time. A couple of times to get into Gabe's room for the Camaro keys, another to get into the pool at Yancy, and even one time to get into Mrs. Dodds car for an end of semester prank.

After a minute or two, Percy found it and pushed to the opposite side, forcing the lock to go back in its little compartment.

"Voila."

Grover clapped him on the back, "Nice going!"

"You know, normally you'd be against invading someone's privacy. But now look at you. Becoming more like me every day."

Grover's smile fell, "That's what this world will do to you. It changes people."

Percy wasn't quite sure what to make of Grover right now. He'd never seen him so serious. He'd been expecting a quick remark back to his jab, but it didn't go that way, like it usually would. Had something in Grover just snapped? He'd finally had enough of this dark reality he had to endure?

Could be.

Leaving that statement in the air, Percy kept moving, forcing his hand to stop trembling so he could open the door quietly. Slowly, and thankfully without creaking, the barrier slid away to reveal Brunner in his small bed, lying on his back with his hands folded on his stomach, like a body in a coffin.

Grover perched his head next to Percy's, "Is he asleep?"

"I think so."

"I don't hear any snoring. Doesn't Mr. Brunner snore?"

"I can't remember. Doesn't matter, let's just go in."

"I'm nervous, man."

"This was your idea! Come on, we can't just sit here and stare!"

Pulling Grover along, Percy crawled on bent knees to the spot behind Mr. Brunner's desk, to the bookcases.

"Alright, now it's your turn," Percy said to Grover, "You said you've done this before, and I picked the lock, so get at it, bro."

Grover's gulp could've waken Brunner up, had they been in close proximity. He shakily stood straight and fiddled with the books until he found the right one. A thick, tall, black book with golden letters on the side that Percy couldn't see. Even if he could, his dyslexia would mix the words up.

When he pulled on it, a snapping noise came from the other side, like two chain links breaking apart. Percy figured that meant it was unlocked.

Grover turned his head, "Okay, it's unlocked. It doesn't open automatically, we have to move it."

Percy joined Grover, placing both hands adjacent to his and pushing. The bookcase didn't make much noise as it slid to the right corner of the room, showing off the final obstacle between the duo and the secret room.

After the bookcase stopped, Percy spun around quickly just to check on Mr. Brunner. He sighed in relief when he saw him still in the same spot, sound asleep. Or at least, appearing to be. He wouldn't put it past the man to fake it and attack them from behind once they let their guard down.

He brought his palm to his chest, feeling the rapid heartbeat. The thoughts of doubt and guilt crossed his mind again. They shouldn't be doing this. After all Mr. Brunner had done for them, it just wasn't right.

But it was too late now. Grover was already focused on the keypad, his face inches away from the screen. Next to that, sat the door. It was smaller than Percy imagined. He thought it would be like the entrance to a massive bank vault, but instead it looked more like the door to a personal gun safe.

His friend's fingers hovered over the numbers, "I'm not sure if we have a certain amount of attempts, so we need to get it right within the first three tries at the most. Should we...I don't know, try his birthday?"

"Yeah, like either of us know his birthday."

"I'm just throwing ideas out there! What can you think of?"

Percy wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but after surviving the apocalypse for years at this point, he learned a thing or two. "Instead of guessing, we should try to look for it first in his desk, or somewhere around the room. I bet Mr. Brunner keeps it in case he forgets."

"You don't think he'd remember it off the top of his head?"

"Guy's in his fifties now. Aging takes a hit on the old noodle."

Grover pursed his thin lips, "Alright, I'll watch Brunner, you look in the desk drawers."

Percy nodded and went to work. First, scaling every inch of the desk with his eyes to see if the code was scribbled or carved somewhere on the wood. After seeing nothing, he checked the drawers. Six in total. When he reached the second to last, he found something.

The edges of the drawer bottom were a bit spaced, giving Percy the notion that it was a false bottom. Pushing lightly with his index finger, the opposite end of the thin wood veneer shot up, proving Percy right.

He picked the wood out of the drawer and placed it on the desk, squinting his eyes to see what lie under the concealing layer.

It was hard to make out, but whatever it was had a creamy white color. He reached in and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

Blank.

He wasn't sure if the lighting obscured the words or his dyslexia was acting up, but he couldn't see a thing written. Knowing Mr. Brunner, it was probably a misdirection.

Grover's voice behind him sounded close, "What's that?"

"Blank piece of paper. Or at least I think it is."

"Why would Mr. Brunner keep a blank piece of paper in his desk?"

"Not to mention it was the only thing in his desk..." Percy muttered, "Nah, there's something else."

Wracking his brain, he tried to think of the deeper meaning here. There's no way Mr. Brunner would keep this there for no reason, he just had to figure out a way to reveal the truth.

Reveal...

If something was hidden, he only needed to reveal it. What goes on paper? Ink. What kind of ink can be hidden? Invisible ink. How can invisible ink be revealed? Light.

Without telling Grover, Percy grabbed the lamp off of the desk and pushed the switch. A bright white light flicked on, illuminating nearly the entire room. Percy had to pull it away to keep it from waking Mr. Brunner up. Once shone in the right direction, the paper, he smiled from ear to ear. He was right.

On the left side, were ten combinations of numbers, all lined up in double space format. Nothing else. No label as to what they were, no other handwriting, just the numbers.

"I think I found the code."

Grover rushed over to peer at the paper, "Really? I thought you said it was blank?"

"Invisible ink." He lifted the paper so Grover could see, "Take a look."

Grover read over it, his mouth opening bigger and bigger with awe. "That's...really smart, Percy. Nice going."

"There's ten combinations. You said it'll lock us out after three tries?"

"Well, I don't know for sure, but I'd assume there's a limit. I meant that we should shoot for three, otherwise it could set off an alarm and...you know."

"Got it." The task suddenly became even more daunting. There were ten possible codes here, and they had to limit themselves to three. Or not, but Grover was right, they couldn't risk a hundred or so attempts. Mr. Brunner locked his door, wrote in invisible ink, and set up a keypad to keep people from getting in a secret room. There's no doubt he would have some sort of alarm or method of alert if invalid codes were entered. "So we just have to pick three of the ten."

Percy stood up in front of the keypad, lamp and paper still in hand. "So...eeny meeny miny moe?"

"I mean, it's a good a method as any."

"Or wait, I got it! I can close my eyes, rub my finger up and down the list, and when I open them, I stop my finger. Whichever it lands on is what we try."

"Sure. It's just gonna be guesses either way. We have no idea which one's the actual code."

"Alright, let's try it."

"Wait, Percy. What if we get it wrong and some alarm goes off? Or Mr. Brunner wakes up?"

"Let's try not to think of that," Percy whispered quickly and shut his eyes, beginning his idea. He only allowed his finger to move for a few seconds before opening his eyes. It landed on a combination near the middle of the sheet.

"57392," Percy recited, "Looks like that's our first option."

"Typing it in." Grover pressed his fingers to the pad, emitting tiny beeping noises. After the combination went in, a buzzer went off at the same volume as the numbers, signaling that it was incorrect.

"It's wrong."

"Okay then, moving on. We'll mark that one out." He closed his eyes and did it again, landing on a different combination. "64118."

Another series of beeping, then a buzzer.

"Wrong again."

Percy's heart started beating fast again, "Two strikes. One left." Once more, this time, landing at the bottom, "20793. Fingers crossed."

Grover hesitated. Percy heard him hold his breath and enter the code at a snail's pace. This time, it gave a different noise, a single ding of a bell. Correct combination.

Upon hearing it, Percy and Grover looked at each other like they'd won the lottery.

Nice.

Promptly, Percy turned the lamp off and sat it on the desk. When he turned around, Grover was already opening the door. He dashed forward and covered Grover's wrist with his hand. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

They locked eyes, "There's no turning back now."

"I know. You still want to do this?"

"Turning back when we're this close? Wouldn't dream of it."

Grover smirked, giving him a fist bump. "Let's go in."

Together, one hand each, they pulled it ajar. Darkness sat ahead, no shapes in sight. They would need a light source to see.

"Is there a switch?" Percy asked.

He heard Grover sliding his hand on the wall next to them, "I think I found it. Close the door to a crack so Mr. Brunner won't see the light."

Once Percy did, Grover flipped the switch.

Before them, sat a fully lit laboratory, adorned with the same cream-colored walls as the other dorm rooms. Though they were barely visible due to the metal tables and desks encircling the room, surrounding a larger table in the middle. On them, sat several stacks of paper, some free, some in messy folders. Pens, new and used were astray, Percy recognized several items he remembered seeing in his chemistry class, containers for holding certain acidic liquids, like beakers or measuring bottles.

What struck him the most though, was that center table. On the far edge of it, lined up in a row, almost like a shrine, sat several cylinders of parasites. The very same that they fought day by day.

Grover began coughing into his arm, "Why is so freaking hot in here? It's got to be a hundred degrees!"

Percy hadn't really paid attention to the temperature. He only stared at the dozen or so monsters on display for them not ten feet away. "Grover...look."

Both pairs of eyes watched on in complete silence for what felt like the longest time. There they were, sitting in water, stagnant. Percy wasn't sure if they were dead or not, but it bothered him just being in the same room as the things. Percy was used to killing hosts and that being the end of it, never confronting the actual puppetmasters themselves. It was odd...being face to face with the source of all your problems.

"W-Why does he have those things in here?"

"I mean...this is a lab. Maybe...he's experimenting on them?"

Leaving Grover behind, Percy walked closer to the table to observe. He found that the parasites weren't only in the containers, but several were lying on the table, seemingly dead from puncture wounds. Next to them, syringes and multiple small vials of green liquid.

In total, twenty-two parasites. Fifteen in containers, seven dead on the table. Percy had been expecting something weird, but he didn't expect this. The enemy to be right under their noses. And for who knows how long? Since this place was built? A year? A month?

Next to him, he heard Grover messing around on one of the desks, ruffling papers. "Percy, these papers...most of them are progress logs."

"What do they say?"

"Uh...there's a lot written here, I'm trying to be quick..." some more shuffles, then a pause. "...He's talking about the parasites, how they're reacting to temperature change, how they adapt to it...and-"

He suddenly stopped. Percy waited for him to continue, but when he didn't, he looked at Grover curiously. His friend's eyes were wide, mouth open in shock. "Grover?"

"Percy, there are message transcripts here. Copies of letters that he's sent. There's hundreds of them."

"So? Do you realize that the monsters responsible for the state of the world are sitting right in front of me? They could jump out any second and kill us!"

Grover didn't even hear him. He just flipped the papers around to show Percy for himself, "These are letters sent to Project Atlas, Percy. Mr. Brunner's been working with them this whole time."

Percy froze.

"Wait, what?"


-x-